Reds hold off Phoenix at Hindmarsh

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At the double ... Carrusca scored two first-half goals. Source:News Limited

Adelaide United have reduced Central Coast's lead at the top of the A-League ladder to one point with a 3-1 victory over Wellington at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Gifted Argentine Marcelo Carrusca scored twice and created another goal as Adelaide United defeated Wellington Phoenix 3-1 in Sunday's A-League match.

Second-placed Adelaide opened an eight-point break from Melbourne Victory in third spot with their home win at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The victory kept Adelaide one point shy of league leaders Central Coast, with Carrusca scoring two goals in five minutes and setting up another for Fabio Ferreira.

A week after his coach John Kosmina said Carrusca would prove to be the best import in the league, the former Argentina under-20 representative offered compelling evidence for Kosmina's case.

		P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Central Coast	11	8	2	1	13	26
2	Adelaide	11	8	1	2	10	25
3	Victory	11	5	2	4	-3	17
4	Western Sydney	11	5	1	5	0	16
5	Perth	11	4	2	5	2	14
6	Newcastle	11	4	1	6	-8	13
7	Wellington	11	3	3	5	-1	12
8	Heart	11	3	3	5	-2	12
9	Brisbane	11	3	2	6	0	11
10	Sydney	11	3	1	7	-11	10

Carrusca's first goal, in the 19th minute, was fortunate - he wafted a 20 metre free kick into the box and teammate Osama Malik missed the header and Phoenix goalkeeper Mark Paston missed the ball.

Five minutes later, striker Bruce Djite shrewdly played Carrusca into space and, too easily, he slid past a Wellington defender onto his favoured left side and launched from 15m to beat a diving Paston.

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Relive all the action from the Reds' win at our A-League Match Centre, with video highlights and key stats.

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Wellington, anchored in seventh spot with just three wins, were unjustly denied a reply three minutes later when dangerman Paul Ifill's shot beat Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic and was headed for the net.

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Phoenix striker Stein Huysegems could have watched the ball roll in but instead slid to tap-in - only to be incorrectly ruled offside.

Wellington's fate was sealed seconds before half-time when Carrusca delivered a visionary pass to give Ferreira a golden run at goal and the Portuguese speedster made no mistake from six metres.

Phoenix attacker Dani Sanchez collected a consolation goal in the 81st minute when he blasted a close-range shot into 'keeper Galekovic, gathered the rebound, and scored.

And Wellington's woes continued into the last play of the game when Tyler Boyd, awarded a penalty, had his shot spectacularly saved by Galekovic.

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Adelaide coach John Kosmina said his side would continue to take things week by week and do not have one eye on the finals.

"Don't worry about reading too much about what is said in the press because if you start believing the media too much, then you're going to get yourself in trouble," Reds coach John Kosmina said.

"You can't deny the table but if you pay too much attention to it, you lose focus.

"We have now got eight points on Melbourne and probably 13 goals, I would say, so that is great ... but if you want to rely on that, you're going to get yourself in trouble.

"We still need to be beat Western Sydney (on Friday)." 

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Hobart day three: Geeves's Top Five

Shane Watson ... looked sluggish on day three according to Brett Geeves. Source: AAP

What happened at the Test on day three? You'll find out plenty from former Australia and Tasmania all-rounder Brett Geeves, but probably not that.

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1. Ric Finlay Party - No invite

Arriving at the ground this morning, I felt upbeat and excited about the morning's cricket. Once I had my heart rate under control, after climbing the monstrous stair-case to the media area, I entered the ABC box with a gusto befitting a much lighter man.

When you've lived my high school experiences, you know the cues to an awkward moment; mumbling words or instant silence upon entry to a room are the most blatant cues, the others are less obvious; inappropriate timing of blood flow to rude parts of your body and having your high school crush find out it was you that wet the bed in school camp the year before..

Walking into the ABC box this morning, I was hit with three of the four available cues for an awkward moment. My high school crush was not at the ground. Why the silence? This was high school all over again; minus the braces, bowl cut and lack of deodorant.

As it turns out, the entire ABC Grandstand team, bar me, were invited to a team BBQ at stat man, Ric Finlay's, house. Ian Healy was there and the way the Australian team bowled in the morning session, I think they too may have popped into Ric's for a few cordials and tall stories. They looked tired, stiff and sore. HIlfenhaus injured himself and Shane Watson was moving like a man that desperately needed a poop. His fibre levels yesterday were obviously off the charts. It's cool though, I would have been unavailable ANYWAYS, as Saturday nights are for putting new laces in all my shoes and shampooing my hair.

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Relive all the day two action from Hobart with our interactive blog!

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2.  Dilshan plays good cricket.

His innings of 147 off 273 balls was a brilliant one and his love affair with Bellerive Oval continues. Last year, he pummelled 160 off 165 balls, in a first innings total of 4 for 320, against India. The bad news for Dilly on that occasion is that Virat Kohli played the innings of his life and one of the better innings I have witnessed live, blasting 133 off 86 balls and his team to a remarkable victory.

Dilly and I were involved in the Delhi Daredevils squad, for the inaugural competition in 2008. He was obviously a player in that squad and I was signed as a player, but upon failing to do anything that resembled playing, my title of player was taken away from me and I was given "players assistant". One of the many highlights for me on that tour, obviously none of them cricket-related, was attending the marriage of Dilshan and his stunning wife Manjula Thillini, in a Hindi-inspired ceremony. Manjula was as breathtaking as the result of climbing your way to the media box at Bellerive.

The Hindi ceremony was obviously very different to what I had seen at home in Glenorchy.
Firstly, the tradition of being taken to the chapel in a 77 Torana, with 15-inch fatties, was replaced by the Saptapadi - the couple conducts seven circuits of the holy fire, which is considered a witness to the vows they make each other. One tradition remained the same - the beer was free and it was a magnificent occasion and one I will remember forever. I was actually quoted by the local media as saying "It was mesmeric, the music, the clothes they wore, the atmosphere was a completely new experience for me". I don't even know what mesmeric means!!

3. Peter Siddle has an enormous amount of fight and determination when playing cricket.

You could come up against Siddle in a backyard game on Christmas day and he would still charge in and attempt to hit you in the face, completely ruining your day and any chance you had of pursuing a modelling career. He knows no other way. You have to admire this about him. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to maintain the rage and put the handbrake on any youngster that thinks his spot is up for grabs. He is now a vegan, gave up the booze and treated himself to a new set of veneers, to only further his marketability. This is a man that wants to play for Australia at any cost. It's working for him and if anyone questions him, he will find you and most likely hurt you.

4. The wicket at Bellerive has, in the past, been labelled THE INCREDIBLE HULK - for its raging green appearance.

The domestic games, over the past 5 years, have all felt the wrath of THE HULK and most teams are bundled out for far less than 200. My concern heading into this test was if the game would last 5 days. The Curator, Marcus Pamplin, and his team of assistants have done a marvellous job in preparing this wicket. We saw with Siddle that if you bowl in the right areas, you will be rewarded. Put the ball in the wrong spots and you will go the journey Dilshan 147, Mathews 75, Hussey 115, Clarke 70 odd. This is a test match wicket. Well played gents.

5. If anyone asks you to write words, on the top five things to come out of a day's cricket, negotiate with them and ask if three will suffice?

Sod off I'm done

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Wellington's Ifill racially abused

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Poor form ... Ifill was racially abused by a fan at Hindmarsh Stadium. Source:News Limited

Wellington Phoenix star Paul Ifill was racially abused by a spectator during Sunday's A-League loss to Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The spectator was heard to call Ifill, an English-born Barbados international, a derogatory racial term during Adelaide's 3-1 defeat of Wellington at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Ifill confirmed he was racially abused.

"Bad times poor result and racist abuse from a very small minority of fans #nothappy,'' he posted on social network Twitter.

Police and security staff at the ground were informed of the racial abuse and police were investigating.

A Football Federation Australia spokesman said the governing body would also investigate the incident.

"FFA will investigate any incidence of racial vilification,'' the spokesman said.

Ifill was substituted in the 61st minute of the loss to Adelaide United.

After the Barbadian was taken off, Phoenix coach Herbert reacted instinctively by turning around and appearing to look for the abusive spectator.

But Herbert was reluctant to expand on the racial vilification post-match.

"You may want to ask the club (Adelaide)," Herbert told reporters.

"There was a few comments that we have shared with the (Adelaide) club officials ... with regards to a player.

"It would probably be best to talk to the club, Adelaide."

Asked whether he could confirm or deny the comments were racial, Herbert said: "It's not for me to confirm or not - go through that process of talking to the club."

Herbert refused to elaborate further on the incident involving the highly-respected Ifill, considered among the A-League's elite players.

The 33-year-old attacking midfielder was born in Brighton in England and played 238 games for English club Millwall, including the 2004 FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Ifill, who also played for Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, had been a prominent player for Wellington in their loss to Adelaide.

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'A season-defining derby win'

Derby delight ... Bozza heaps praise on Western Sydney Wanderers. Source: Mark Evans / News Limited

Fox Sports football commentator Mark Bosnich and Melbourne Victory legend Kevin Muscat look at a changing of the guard in Sydney as they review round 11 of the A-League.

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Central Coast Mariners 2 defeated Melbourne Heart 0 at Bluetongue Stadium

Bozza: The Mariners just keep on defying everybody. Graham Arnold takes great delight in telling us his side is flying under the radar, but I'm sorry Arnie, you are the A-League favourites. They are a wonderfully run club and brilliantly coached. They have some superb individuals who don't get the credit they deserve. There's still a long way to go and they'll be mindful that they haven't won the trophy in the past couple of seasons. 

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Perth Glory 3 defeated Newcastle Jets 0 at nib Stadium

Bozza: Perth Glory have a very good squad. Liam Miller is key for them. He was outstanding on Friday night against Newcastle Jets. For them to go one better this year, they'll need to keep him fit and firing all season.

Kevin Muscat: The Jets defender did dive in for the penalty call, and he gave the referee the opportunity to give the penalty. He's gone through him. He had to try and block the shot and was maybe a bit unlucky with the wet pitch.

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Melbourne Victory 1 drew with Brisbane Roar 1 at AAMI Park

Kevin Muscat: For long periods, we created a lot of chances. But we give teams leads too often, then try and catch up. You can't keep giving away goals and trying to play catch up. All in all, we can take that as a very good performance. We'll review the performance and not the result. There are a lot more positives than negatives. Our players have had to adapt and they know what Ange wants. We've scored some goals playing out from the back, which has been particularly enjoyable. We're working hard on our defensive part of the game.

Bozza: The Victory are constantly improving. Ange Postecoglou's philosophy of playing out from the back was perhaps a bit overplayed at the start of the season. They've curtailed that and are looking good. Melbourne Victory's fitness looks very good - don't underestimate the importance of fitness. In terms of their championship credentials, I still think the Victory are contenders. I saw them in pre-season and since then they've gone from strength to strength.

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Sydney FC 0 defeated by Western Sydney Wanderers 2 at Allianz Stadium

Bozza: The Wanderers were marvellous. They were that little bit faster, hungrier and more determined. Their decisions were better. Sydney FC had no answers. I'm very happy for the new boys. To come back and win away from home against your local rivals is a wonderful feeling and one they will treasure for a very long time. The players are playing for Poppa. I see a lot of his style in their play. Every time Wanderers counter-attacked, they countered with a purpose. They looked really dangerous on the break. A fantastic performance and maybe a season-defining one for them. Sydney just weren't at the races - they were tactically outplayed.

Kevin Muscat: I see such a hunger in the Wanderers squad. Tony Popovic has picked up a lot of players that were maybe unwanted at other A-League clubs and they're just churning out the results. Frank is under no illusion as to the difficult task on his hands.He'll go back to work on Monday and focus on getting the players where he needs them to be.

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Adelaide United 3 defeated Wellington Phoenix 1 at Hindmarsh Stadium

Kevin Muscat: If that penalty would have gone in at the end, everyone would have been looking the Phoenix's earlier disallowed goal. Thankfully for the referee, Galekovic made that wonderful save. It was such a borderline decision. It was a very difficult decision. If Paul Ifill had a little bit more awareness he could have cut it back and they would have had a simple tap-in goal. Adelaide have so many attacking options in the final third. Marcelo Carrusca of late has been wonderful, linking the midfield and attack. He's added great direction in that area for the Reds.

Bozza: There was some really bad defending from the Phoenix in this one. In saying that, a lot of a credit must go to Wellington because a lot of other teams would have thrown it in. They kept going and going and going. Wellington have left their run too late again, just like against the Victory a few weeks back. The coaching staff would be wondering why they can't play like that for the first 20 minutes.

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Scorchers stop the rot with easy win

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Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited

The Sydney Sixers' golden Twenty20 run came to an abrupt end on Sunday as the Perth Scorchers began their road to recovery by cruising to victory in the Big Bash League grand final rematch at the SCG.

T20 - Sydney Cricket Ground

16 December 2012 - Day 1, Session 2

Scorchers 1st Innings

H. Cartwright	5	6	0	0	83.33
S. Katich	8	4	0	1	200
L. Feldman	3.2	0	13	1	3.90

In a game where anything can happen, the Sixers' 12-match winning streak was something to behold.

But Sunday's seven-wicket loss proved even the world's best can have a shocker in the T20 form, as the Sixers suffered a devastating early collapse before turning in a sloppy effort in the field defending their modest total of 9-113.

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Sixers all-rounder Stephen O'Keefe, who top-scored for his team with 29 and also snared a wicket, said it was Sydney's worst ever performance.

"We scrapped out 113 which I thought was going to be competitive, but we just didn't turn up," he said.

"It was probably in my short stint here at the Sixers, our worst overall performance as a side. We definitely didn't deserve to win that match."

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Led by a 51-run opening stand by Herschelle Gibbs (40 from 42) and Shaun Marsh, the Scorchers chased down the total with four balls remaining to record their first win of the season and get themselves off the bottom of the ladder.

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Review the full scorecard and re-live all the big moments of the game with ball-by-ball coverage in our Big Bash League Match Centre! 

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Things got a little tight for the Scorchers towards the end, until captain Simon Katich came to the crease with his side needing 12 from 12 and smashed a six off the first ball he faced.

And it was the fact that their backs were against the wall that pleased spinner Michael Beer the most about the Scorchers' performance.

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"If we didn't win we were out of the competition pretty much, so we had to be right up for it," he said.

"We let ourselves down the other night so we had to do it.

"Confidence probably wasn't there but we made a commitment to each other that we were going to go out and have fun and back ourselves and not be scared.

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"(The Sixers) are world champions so it's a feather in our cap to beat them."

Since the Sixers beat Perth in last summer's BBL grand final, the Sydney-siders went from strength to strength to be crowned Champions League kings in October.

The Scorchers on the other hand made headlines for all the wrong reasons in the tournament held in South Africa - failing to get out of the group stage and finding themselves embroiled in off-field controversy after an alcohol-fuelled night out.

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Perth promised to make things right in the BBL and Sunday's breakthrough win after back-to-back losses to open the tournament proved the West Australians cared about restoring pride.

It's Justin Langer's first win as coach since taking over as Warriors and Scorchers mentor in mid-November.

Just four nights ago the Scorchers were skittled for a BBL-low 69 in an emphatic, albeit controversial loss to the Melbourne Stars in Perth.

But this time it was their turn to decimate an opposition, as they left the Sixers reeling for 5-18 and 6-28, before allowing the tail to score 42 runs from the final five overs.

The Scorchers' triumph after winning the toss meant the chasing team has now won nine out of nine times this BBL season.

Alfonso Thomas, Beer and Hilton Cartwright took two wickets each for the Scorchers, with Brad Haddin (10) the only batsman out of Sydney's top six to reach double figures.

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Save of the Week - round 11

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Outstanding ... Galekovic's penalty save was a brilliant piece of goalkeeping. Source:News Limited

Adelaide United skipper Eugene Galekovic confirmed his place as one of the A-League's finest goalkeepers on Sunday with a superb save against Wellington.

The Reds had the game in the bag at 3-1 when the Phoenix were awarded a penalty just moments before the final whistle.

Teenager Tyler Boyd stepped up to the penalty spot and fired his shot to Galekovic's right, the Reds shot-stopper thrusting his hand above his head to block the attempt.

And Galekovic's brilliant effort didn't end there as he returned to his feet to block Boyd's second attempt on the rebound.

Fox Sports football commentator Mark Bosnich paid tribute to Galekovic while awarding him his Save of the Week for round 11.

"Outstanding," Bosnich said of Galekovic's effort.

"It's very, very difficult to change your direction in terms of the height that you dive.

"You have to decide as a goalkeeper when you're facing a penalty whether you're going to dive low or a little bit high.

"He decided to go low and halfway through realised he had to put up his left hand and not only that … the agility he showed in getting up."

The former Socceroos keeper said Galekovic's save will have given the Reds some extra confidence ahead of next week's battle with the in-form Western Sydney Wanderers.

"You saw the reaction from his teammates – it fills you with so much confidence as a team when you've got a great goalkeeper behind you," Bosnich said.

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England close in on famous victory

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Solid ... Jonathan Trott put England in a strong position on day four. Source:AAP

England are on the brink of securing a famous Test series victory on Indian soil after reaching stumps well-placed on 3-161 on day four in Nagpur - an overall lead of 165.

Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell kept India at bay throughout the majority of the evening session and time is quickly running out for the hosts to force the victory they need to square the four-match series.

4th Test - Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium

13 December 2012 - Day 4, Session 3

England 2nd Innings

J. Trott	66	153	9	0	43.14
I. Bell	24	67	4	0	35.82
P. Ojha	23	10	39	1	1.70

If they fail to do so, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni may well rue a baffling morning session on the penultimate day which saw India add just 29 runs in over an hour before declaring on 9-326 still four runs adrift of England's first-innings total.

At no great rush, England then began adding to their advantage, with openers Alastair Cook and Nick Compton sharing a 48-run partnership before both fell in controversial circumstances in the afternoon session.

Not for the first time in the match, Cook was left perplexed when umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave him out with evidence suggesting he should not have been.

Ravi Ashwin was the beneficiary on this occasion with Dhoni claiming a thin edge behind the stumps.

Compton also fell to spin, however he too could count himself unlucky after appearing to get an inside edge on to the ball before he was adjudged lbw to Pragyan Ojha in the last passage of play before tea.

Kevin Pietersen was undone by left-arm spin yet again after the break, inexplicably leaving a straight ball from Ravindra Jadeja, which crashed into off

Trott, who survived a huge caught behind appeal from Ishant Sharma when on 43, is unbeaten on 66 and will resume alongside Bell (24no) with the second new ball due in one over's time.

Despite still trailing by four first-innings runs, India captain Dhoni had earlier declared after a dull opening hour on day four, where his team added just 29 runs.

Not a single boundary was scored by India, who showed little intent to score quickly, while England were more than content to let them take time out of the game.

Ashwin (29 no) continually turned down runs, while Monty Panesar (1-81) could barely muster the enthusiasm to celebrate when he bowled Ojha for three.

Read more: http://www.skysports.com/cricket/match_report/0,,11066_13370_1,00.html

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Chelsea shocked in CWC final

Shock ... Corinthians beat Chelsea to become world champions. Source: AAP

Corinthians shattered Chelsea's dream of becoming world champions after Paolo Guerrero's second-half header secured a 1-0 win in the Club World Cup final in Japan.

Guerrero pounced decisively on 69 minutes to deny Rafa Benitez his first trophy as Chelsea boss as the Barclays Premier League giants finished with 10 men after Gary Cahill was sent off late on.

Goalline technology has been available in the competition and it almost came into use on 10 minutes when Gary Cahill's prodded shot was stopped on the line by Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio.

The first half lacked any real tempo as Corinthians did well to stifle Chelsea, although the Brazilians did carry a threat, with Emerson wastefully blazing over on 29 minutes after Cahill had failed to cut out Guerrero's pass.

Chelsea perked up in the final 10 minutes of the opening period and Fernando Torres showed excellent control to bring down Frank Lampard's long ball before hitting a tame volley straight at Cassio.

The Corinthians keeper then produced the save of the half, diving full length to tip Victor Moses' curler around the post before making a more routine stop from Juan Mata's dipping drive.

The second half started much livelier and Cassio was again called into action on 54 minutes as he rushed out to thwart Eden Hazard following a fine through ball from Mata.

Paulinho flashed a shot wide before Corinthians made the breakthrough on 69 minutes as the unmarked Guerrero headed home from close range after Danilo's shot had looped into the air off Cahill.

Benitez threw on Oscar in search of an equaliser and the golden chance arrived four minutes from time when the ball broke to the unmarked Torres six yards out, but the Spanish striker could only drill his shot at Cassio's legs.

Cahill was shown a red card in the last minute before Torres was rightly denied the equaliser by the offside flag after he had glanced home Oscar's ball into the box.

Read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/280650/

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